Sometimes life just takes over. You enter a roller coaster ride where you don’t have time to think and just go with the flow. And then suddenly the ride ends and leaves you lonely and uncomfortable, without a plan. I built a wall of protection a long time ago, protecting me from getting too attached to people and the sadness that follows when they leave. Traveling is a series of places, a series of people. When you get comfortable, things change again. You share great moments and may never cross paths again. So it’s better not to get too close. And yet some people walk right on through my wall, seemingly effortlessly. Then that happens while you’re on the roller coaster, mind switched off, letting your guard down. One day you’re singing along to the radio in a full car, the next you wonder how it suddenly got so quiet. I’ve survived my quiet day again. Recharged my battery. Chapter closed, let’s write the next one.
The Córdoba chapter was intense and full of connections. From the moment I started exploring I met a series of people that would fill my 5 days with laughs and adventure. Having lunch after a walking tour of the historic center led to museum visits discussing religion and life philosophies with Enrique, a Spaniard, in spanish. The next day I wandered through the streets of Córdoba with the same guy, the only goal being seeing something of real life, beyond the city center. He was pulling his small suitcase as we tried to find some beauty in the suburbs. Maybe the river would be a scenic spot? But all we found was dumped garbage and mud. At times there was a sidewalk, but we mostly walked through the wet grass. At the end of a neighborhood a police officer came out to warn us of the area. Well… the area we’d just passed. The houses there had been a stark contrast to the other side of the river, which we explored next. There, fancy houses stood behind gates. There were some more cafés, gyms and little shops. After a long walk and big lunch I said goodbye and took an uber to the start of another guided walking tour. This time I’d explore the newer part of town.
I quickly met Elyes, Freek and Gaston. They were planning some activities and I ended up spending three days exploring the province with them. One day Freek, Elyes and I took an Uber to Río Ceballos. We drove through the long main street and got dropped off at a dam. The lake was beautiful, reflecting a few clouds in the water. A couple of kilometers further was the village Colanchanga, where the trail to waterfall Los Hornillos started. The waterfall wasn’t that special, but the walk was beautiful and quiet. We were the only ones there, hopping over rocks to find the trail that went on both sides of the river. After relaxing a bit at the waterfall and swimming hole, the sun had gotten stronger. There were parts with dozens of little butterflies. Elyes had made friends with a pony at the start of the trail. There was a random small house. Nobody seemed to be home but the dog, chickens, some cows and this pony. The pony stuck his head through the fence’s wire and tried to tag along. The cows were roaming around freely and the bells hanging around their necks provided the soundtrack to our walk. We disturbed one of the ladies during her bath in the river. But hey, we had to cross again. After our hike we started the long walk back to the main street. Elyes hailed a bus and luckily it stopped and took cash. It brought us to a well deserved drink much faster than our legs would! Back in Córdoba I ate a famous choripan, bread with chorizo and a lot of toppings, and then we visited a cultural festival.
The next day started early. We saw the sunrise as we picked up a rental car at the airport. Gaston joined us and we drove off into the mountains. Our first destination was Parque Nacional el Condorito. After some viewpoint stops we arrived and listened to the ranger’s intro speech. It was recommended to have 2L of water each. We didn’t quite have that and it didn’t help that one of the water bottles had leaked. But we figured the 4 hour walking time estimation was Argentinian time, meaning a generous estimation. The area was dry and rocky, with only tall, yellow grasses and no shade. The views were amazing. But we came out to see some condors. Honestly, it hard to distinguish the condor from other eagles. When they are high up in the sky, it’s hard to tell how big they really are. This national park is known to be a place where condors teach their babies to fly and soar through the air. We saw many birds and know at least one was a condor since we could clearly recognise the white ring around its neck. After talking to some locals on the trail, we decided to head to Mina Clavero and check out a waterfall on the way. We had managed with our water and could fill up exiting the park. On the drive we got stunning views again. People had stands along the side of the road, selling salami, cheese and honey. The waterfall trail was short, but well worth it. We got to a lookout of the waterfall and the river and valley far below us. There was also some water you could swim in. I walked in a bit to cool down, but the water was feezing. In Mina Clavero itself it was very calm. It’s more of a summer destination with many places to swim in the river. We ate some ice cream and sat down at a terrace. By the time we made the 2 hour drive back the sun was setting. There were incredible colors on the horizon and the mountains turned purple.
Since Córdoba is a student city, we had to taste the night life. We met Tobias, who would join us the next day instead of Freek. We ate lomitos, a sandwich with beef, at 11pm and then headed to a bar. Or was it a club? It was something in between where we could dance. It was 2.30am when I got to bed. I was the first one in the dorm. But we had a long day ahead of us. Our sleepy heads all made it out of bed though, which was quite impressive. Today’s destination was a bit more chill, some towns with German origin. We drove past a beautiful lake on the way to la Cumbrecita, 2000s road trip hits playing. We all got 3 skip votes in case we didn’t like a song. But soon we introduced the ‘if nobody likes it we just skip’- rule. Unfortunately we were also stuck behind a horse trailer and then a bus, so the drive was slow. At la Cumbrecita you have to park at the edge of town, since it’s all car free. Then you descend into town on foot. We found a tea house at the bottom, near the river. The tea was delicious and they had a cookie with some kind of jam, shaped like an empanada. The houses here were called Helmut, Fritz or Engel. There were a few short trails too. We went to la olla and cascada grande. But the town was pretty busy with day- or weekend trippers, so we couldn’t find a quiet place like at the other waterfalls. La Cumbrecita is sort of spread out and houses are hidden in between the trees. Its location is gorgeous. Our second town, Villa General Belgrano, on the other hand, was more like a normal town, apart from all the beer gardens. They sell beer glasses and other souvenirs with German cartoons. You can eat at restaurants like Viejo Munich or pick up a souvenir at a shop called Klaus. This place also hosts the biggest Oktoberfest of Argentina. There are lots of brewery restaurants. It was fun to walk around, but hunger was striking. Instead of a German meal we had empanadas. Tobias and I were hoping for Kaiserschmarrn, but that still had to reach this over the top town. We had a quiet drive back to Córdoba airport to drop off the car. No sing along songs, just some conversation and naps in the back. We were all pretty tired. And then it’s hugs and goodbyes. Chapter closed.
